2.4 – Insurgency

Interracial violence erupts at the Gallifreyan Academy, but is somebody using the students as pawns in a political power game?

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Styre
on May 9, 2016 at 12:57 AM

GALLIFREY: INSURGENCY

Admittedly, I don’t know what to expect in the upcoming second season finale of Gallifrey, but the buildup has been remarkably slow. Here, in “Insurgency,” the penultimate story, we see Steve Lyons telling an allegorical tale of Time Lord isolationism and the racial tension that erupts as a result of open borders. It’s fairly successful in this regard, but as a piece of drama it’s once again uneventful and feels more like treading water than progressing towards a conclusion.

While I know immigration is a persistently hot topic in UK politics, I won’t pretend to be familiar — but I’m more than familiar with similar debates here in the US. While nobody cares about the virtually open border with Canada, and while the influx of immigrants from places like Europe and Asia provokes little more than raised eyebrows, the idea of Mexican immigration raises the ire of conservatives like little else. “Insurgency” shows a contingent of Time Lords, led by the Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham), who believe that allowing the lesser races access to the Academy will cheapen Time Lord secrets and weaken Gallifreyan power. This plain feeling of superiority over “lesser races” and desire to protect national superiority is hardly an unfamiliar one, and Lyons captures a strong sense of growing paranoia, as well as a deserved sense of oppression among the visiting Academy students.

As for the over-arching plot, all the pieces are now in place for the finale — Romana has resolved to use the power of her position to its full extent, while Darkel is declaring a presidential challenge. There are some surprising events at the conclusion involving Andred (Andy Coleman) that will certainly develop. It’s also enjoyable to hear John Leeson modifying his traditional K9 voice to represent the Pandora personality drawn from the Matrix, and he serves as an effective oracle. The behind-the-scenes duo of Gary Russell and David Darlington continue their effective work on a series that continues with a consistent level of quality — but still seems incapable of achieving greatness.